The United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) carried out a new lethal strike yesterday against a vessel in the Caribbean, killing two suspected narco-terrorists as part of the Operation Southern Lance.
According to the official statement from SOUTHCOM, the action was ordered by General Francis L. Donovan, commander of the Southern Command, and was carried out by the Joint Task Force Southern Spear against a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations.
Intelligence confirmed that the boat was traversing known drug trafficking routes in the Caribbean and was involved in drug smuggling operations. There were no casualties among U.S. military forces.
Along with the statement, Southern Command published a video captured with an infrared camera showing the moment of impact on the vessel, with intense heat spots visible in the thermal imaging.
This attack is the latest in a long series of strikes carried out in recent weeks. At the end of April, another deadly attack was reported in the Caribbean, and days earlier, three narco-terrorists were killed in a similar action. On March 25, four people lost their lives in another attack under the same command.
The Southern Lance Operation was launched by the Trump administration in September 2025 to combat drug trafficking in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific. It consists of lethal kinetic attacks on drug boats in international waters, confirmed by intelligence to be linked to drug trafficking.
The target groups are primarily the Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan criminal organization, and the ELN, a Colombian group, both designated as terrorist organizations by Washington.
Since the first attack on September 1, 2025, against a Venezuelan ship with 11 members of Tren de Aragua on board, the operation has steadily intensified.
By April 2026, the campaign had accumulated over 50 attacks and approximately 170 fatalities, making it the largest U.S. military presence in the Caribbean since the Missile Crisis of 1962.
The operation is not without controversy. Organizations like WOLA and analysts from Just Security describe it as a program of extrajudicial killings that violates international law, as there is no due process or verifiable imminent threat. Venezuela has expressed diplomatic tension over the actions in Caribbean waters.
Since General Donovan took command of SOUTHCOM on February 5, 2026, the attacks have continued at a steady pace, with incidents recorded in February, March, April, and now May, showing no signs that the operation will reduce its intensity.
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